UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon: Message to the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development

Nov 22, 2016

I am pleased to send greetings to the 2016 Responsible Business Forum. I commend your efforts to advance a more sustainable and peaceful world.

Your focus on the Sustainable Development Goals is timely and welcome. We must work urgently to turn the global aspirations of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change into reality.

All sectors of society must become deeply engaged, especially the private sector. Looking across the 17 interlinked SDGs, it is evident that business must play a central role in the transition to a sustainable future. Business is the change agent that will spur innovation, unleash low-carbon investments and power sustainable growth across the planet.

The SDGs provide a blueprint for a more inclusive, just and sustainable world. They also point the way to the markets and business successes of the future.

To achieve the SDGs, we must engage more companies around the world. We need your help to spread the word that responsible business is not only a force for good, it is good for the bottom line. Doing business responsibly – in line with the universal principles advanced by the United Nations Global Compact – is the starting point for any company seeking to contribute to sustainability.

I thank you for your commitment. Your advocacy and leading example can play an important role in driving more action on our shared goals. Please accept my best wishes for a productive and inspiring event.